Topic: Battery charging/idle question

[Ceej]

1974 cb750

So my battery had been dying fairly quick over the past couple weeks.  So i figured it was just time for a new battery (havnt replaced since i owned the bike).   I had just been kickstarting it as there wasnt enough juice for the starter to work.  After I changed the oil today i let the bike idle for about 3 or 4 minutes and then it died.  I can fire it back up, but it wont idle.  If i keep it reving above 2k rpm it will run, but if i let it drop to idle it dies.  Is this because letting it idle for too long drained my already dying battery?  Or do i have some other problem as well.  Im going to get a new battery tomorrow and see what that does.  Could my dying battery be due to a bad alternator?  Or is this typical behavior at the end of a battery's life?

thanks gang

CJ

[Bob Wessner]

If i keep it reving above 2k rpm it will run, but if i let it drop to idle it dies.

Below 2,000 is a draw on the battery. The alt. doesn't do it's thing for charging until about 2,000. So, yes, excessive idling will eventually draw down the battery.

[ofreen]

1974 cb750
So i figured it was just time for a new battery (havnt replaced since i owned the bike). 

I'd say you have it figured correctly.